


Ross Dubh: Origin

by FactorySmoke



Series: It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. [2]
Category: RWBY, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: "What does it mean for death to look you in the eye, Angst with a Happy Ending, But it hints to a happy ending?, Character Death, Fear, M/M, Minor Character Death, Original Character Death(s), Ross punts a child, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma, and then turn away?", but it gets better, close enough, eh, just a little, this is dark, you read that right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FactorySmoke/pseuds/FactorySmoke
Summary: Before Avidya, there was the Librarian.Before the Librarian, there was Ross Dubh.Before Ross Dubh, there was the boy who loved the sun.
Relationships: Endgame Midoriya Izuku/Ross Dubh, Endgame RoKu, Endgame Rosey Cheeks, Endgame what the fuck am I even doing
Series: It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659598
Comments: 49
Kudos: 14





	Ross Dubh: Origin

**Author's Note:**

> A short oneshot prequel detailing the events that led up to where Ross is now, covering why exactly he hates the light! Enjoy~
> 
> TW: Character Death, suicidal thoughts, an annoying kid getting kicked.

Ross Dubh is 4 years old when he learns about just how important Mommy and Daddy are.

He lives in a big place called Mistral, and he's born in a rich family with a big house and lots of pretty and sparkly things. It's always really sunny outside, and he love running around and playing in the sun. There are lots of people in fancy suits and pretty dresses that help clean the house, and Ross tries to help them. They always say no, but he'll help them! One day, he'll get to try on those pretty dresses and help the nice ladies clean the big house!

He isn't really aware of how big they are. He mainly spends his time playing with cute dollies and playing dress up. The other boys say that boys shouldn't like cute stuff, and they should be tough and manly or whatever, but Ross thinks that's really stupid. Who cares about what other people think? They're all big dum-dums if they don't like how he is because he's 'di-far-rent'.

His daddy is a big 'Dust trader', which is weird because he sees those gray fluffy dust balls and wonders why people want to trade them. But apparently, it's suuuuuuuper important, and a lot of people like to talk to Daddy about dust. Some of these people are bad and scary, and look at him weird, but Daddy always scares them away. He looks really cool, too! He's the best Daddy in the world!

His mommy is a small-time 'ack-tress', and Ross doesn't know what that means. Maybe it has something to do with all the times pretty ladies come over and pick him up sometimes, and they talk with his Mommy a lot. He doesn't know what 'roles' are (One of the pretty ladies spelled it for him, yaaaaay!~) or why they're so important, but Mommy's always so serious when she talks about them. Ross doesn't care, she's still the coolest Mommy ever!

Sometimes his 'godfather' comes over. He's this super cool-looking guy in a fancy white suit and a weird hat with his cane. Daddy calls it a 'bowler hat', but Ross is usually too busy trying to touch his godfather's orange hair. It's super slick and his hand comes away with icky stuff every time. It's also funny watching the weird man try to push his hair back after Ross plays with it! He makes a mean look when Ross giggles, though. Daddy calls him 'Roman Tor-something', but it's super long and boring, so Ross just calls him 'Uncie Romie'!

Uncie Romie also has a pretty lady with him most of the time! Everybody calls her 'Neo', which is a dumb name. It's not cute at all! They also look super scared of her a lot, but Ross doesn't know why. Sometimes, after Daddy makes him wash his hands for playing with Uncie Romie's hair, he likes to run up to Neo and hold his hands out. She likes hugging him and picking him up a lot, and he loves how she throws him up a little. He feels like he's flying!~ Daddy and Mommy get mad, though, so they don't do it a lot.

Ross loves his family a lot! There's not a lot, but they're all super close and he loves them, and that's the bestest part! He likes playing and having tea parties with them, and getting headpats from them (yaaaaay, headpats!~). They're the bestest family ever, and they're Ross' family! He's so lucky like he gets a good family, right?~

* * *

Ross Dubh is five years old when Mommy and Daddy die.

They're on a suuuuuper important trip across a really hot, sandy place called Vacuo because Daddy has a big meeting with one of his 'cli-ants', so they fly down to a really sandy and hot place, because where they have to go doesn't have a place for a plane to land, which is real dumb. When they get out, Daddy can't buy a car service because everyone is mean and only wants their money. Big dum-dums. So they wear these weird face scarf thingies, and begin to walk to the place they have to go.

It's real bright and sunny out, so Ross likes around around Mommy and Daddy, playing in the sun a little. Daddy says the place they have to be in is, like, thirty minutes of walking, which is super boring, but it's for Daddy, so Ross can bear with it! They've been walking for really long now, and Ross' just walking with them, enjoying how nice the sun felt on him. It was so warm and felt soft, which was weird, but Ross liked it! Mommy and Daddy walk on ahead to check out how much further they have to go.

And then the _sun_ crashes down on them, and screeches before Mommy and Daddy can say anything.

Ross almost immediately falls backwards as the sun seems to come apart, tears running over his eyes and snot at the brink of leaking from his nose as the one thing he loved that wasn't his family, burned Mommy and Daddy to a crisp before they could do anything. It's too bright for Ross to see, so he covers his eyes from the brightness, but it feels like......it feels like the Sun is _watching him_.

When Ross is brave enough (barely) to pull his arm away from his eyes, he looks with tearful eyes at the icky-smelling bodies of Mommy and Daddy, and the burning _thing_ standing on them. Ross......Ross isn't a dum-dum. He knows what death is, even if he doesn't like it, and thinks people who like death and killing others are big meanies.

He looks around the ultra-bright sun for it's eyes, and when he finally finds them, he just.....looks. Right into them. He doesn't want to die, but he.....also doesn't want to leave Mommy or Daddy. Without them, he really would rather die. He stares at the sun fearfully, and the sun stares back. Being so close to it, he feels hot and really sweaty and he hates it, he hates the sun now. He doesn't know how much time passes, but it feels really long.

Then the sun just......turns away. It kind of unfolds and flaps up, and flies away. Ross doesn't care. He's too busy running over to his dead Mommy and Daddy, crying over their smoking bodies as tears drip down and sizzle against their charred corpses. He cries and cries and cries some more, hoping, wishing that they weren't dead. That they still were alive and he still had the bestest family ever. So, he knows they're not. And the only thing he can do is cry.

And when his tears run out, when he can't cry anymore because of how dry his body is, the only thing he can do is weakly get up and walk towards the town. Mommy and Daddy.....even if he doesn't want to anymore, Mommy and Daddy would want him to live. But a bigger part of him wonders. Should he just give up? Should he just lie down and die? Maybe Mommy and Daddy would be waiting for him, so they could all go to the other side.He doesn't answer that question, and only keeps walking. The air around him isn't as hot anymore, and he feels better, but not as much. Eventually, even that feeling goes away.

When he finally falls over, dying from dehydration and heatstroke, and unable to do anything but face the thing that killed his parents, it's only through sheer dumb luck that a band of weird people with water and shiny stuff find him and panic, bringing him to a caravan and letting him drink as much water as he needs. Ross just lies down, and everything goes black.

* * *

Ross Dubh is 6 years old when everything gets worse.

He's been kept safe by Vacuo 'au-tor-ee-tees' for a week now when Uncie Romie rushes in, looking scared and sad before he sees Ross, dirty and sandy and afraid. Neo is with him, and the two take Ross into a big hug. It's night time, because Ross hates the sun for killing Mommy and Daddy and only comes out when the moon is out now. He doesn't know when he starts crying or hugging back, but he doesn't care. He just wants what little of his family remains.

It's nine months later. His birthday was two weeks ago, and Ross spends most of his time sadly playing with dolls or wandering around Uncie Romie's big compounds. Uncie Romie has a lot of people working for him, and he always smells bad, like a really bitter icky smell. Even then, he takes time to look after Ross with Neo, Ross loves them for that.

Ross has Aura now. He doesn't know when it was unlocked, because nobody could have done it for him, but Uncie Romie thinks that it happens while he was in Vacuo, before those weird 'merchant' people found him. He said a lot about something called 'trauma' and how it helped, but Ross doesn't care about Aura. It won't bring back Mommy or Daddy.

He hates Vacuo now. It's where they died. He never wants to go back.

Even then, Uncie Romie and Neo help him when it comes to Aura now. They want him to be better with it so he's safe, and Ross just smiles and nods, putting what they tell him to good use. He found out that Uncie Romie is a 'cri-mi-nal ma-ster-my-nd', which means he's a bad guy that makes other bad guys do things for him. Ross doesn't care. He's still Uncie Romie and that's what's important.

There are a few people that stay with Uncie Romie now. They usually change every day, but Uncie Romie's always serious when he's around with them, and Neo looks super scary. Not as scary as the sun, though. Some of them help Uncie Romie do bad guy things, while other people help carry the stuff they get from doing bad guy things away.

Today, they're carrying some of that 'Dust' stuff Daddy used to trade with. It's a lot of colors and really pretty, but it reminds Ross of Daddy, and it just makes him hide behind Uncie Romie's legs. When Uncie Romie notices, he just leans down and pats Ross' head gently, and Neo smiles gently at him. He just hopes he'll be fine.

But it isn't.

Something goes wrong. One of Uncie Romie's bad guys' fingers slip. A big crate full of red Dust falls out, hitting each other. Uncie Romie is picking him up and running i asecond with Neo, but Ross can see the moment it happens. The Dust crystals glow and there's just a tiny bit of fire, a tiny fire that if anywhere else, Ross might have liked looking at.

And then suddenly, everything is _brightbrightbrighttoobrighttoobright_

It feels hot, and it's bright and it hurts Ross' eyes. He's scared and shaking in Uncie Romie's arms, wanting the big fire and scary boom-booms to go away now. He closes his eyes, hiding in Uncie Romie's arms and trying to burrow into how dark it is because it's hot and bright and there's light everywhere and _he just wants it to go away-_

When the fires begin to spread, and Uncie Romie taks him to his fancy car with Neo, he sees the bright 'head lights' on the car, and begins to cry. It's too bright. Almost everything is too bright now. He's scared. Uncie Romie just keeps hugging him sadly, as Ross sniffles and whimpers sadly. He hates light now. He hates bright places.

When he reaches Uncie Romie's new home, and sees how bright it is, he hurries to a room, closes the door and tuns the lights off, pulling the curtains shut and curling up on the bed, sobbing. He doesn't leave the room for a week.

* * *

Ross Dubh is nine years old when he unlocks his Semblance.

He's still terrified of the light and the sun, and Uncle Roman and Neo do their best to help him with that. He wears big, clunky sunglasses almost everywhere, and grows his hair out. He barely grows, only an inch taller than Neo now, and grows his hair out. It's really annoying to keep cutting it only for it to grow back, so he doesn't bother anymore. Though, he doesn't know why people keep calling him a girl. He's a boy! Duh!

No matter how much Uncle Roman and Neo care about Ross, in the end they're still criminals, so they teach him a lot of skills. They teach him how to lockpick, how to pickpocket, and scam other people. They teach him how to scout a place out, and how to sabotage a machine, and how to fight dirty. They teach him a lot of things he probably won't need in the future, but he appreciates them for teaching him.

He's in the middle of learning how to lockpick a padlock with a bobby pin and a paper clip when suddenly, the lights turn on. Ross hisses and hides inside his cute pink hoodie, glaring. Thankfully his sunglasses are on, so he doesn't have a panic attack, but god, he hates it! He hates how bright everywhere was and how sunny it would be in Vale. He hates the sunlight filtering through his windows, and even if he knows how childishly he acts right now, he just wants it to go away!

And it does.

Suddenly, Ross is in the middle of a complete black area where he can't see anything. There's no light. There's no sun or whatever bearing down on him. There's just him, and the darkness. And just as quickly as it appears, it's gone. The guy who turned the lights on is staring in shock, before he hurries away. Minutes later, Uncle Roman is next to him.

"A-Are you okay?" He asks worriedly, looking him over, "You're fine, right?" Ross nods numbly, and Uncle Roman is hugging him, laughing brokenly a little. Neo is off to the side, looking worried as Uncle Roman pulls away, "Damn, kid. You.....you really unlocked your Semblance. I didn't think it would be this sort of a time, though."

"My.....Semblance?" Ross asks.

"Yeah, your Semblance." Ross blinks and looks at Uncle Roman in confusion, "Ah geez, I never taught you about Semblances. I.....I guess we'll have to add more classes to teach you how to use your Semblance, then." Ross pouts angrily, but Uncle Roman won't budge on the topic. Eventually, Ross just gives up and whines sadly while Uncle Roman pats his head (yaaaaay, headpats~), "I know, more classes suck, kid. But this really is for your own protection. Please. Take care of yourself."

Ross only nods, hugging his godfather/adoptive father.

* * *

Ross Dubh is ten years old when he learns just what weapon he's best with.

Being a thief, even a small one, isn't always just sneak around and yoink a few wallets. Sometimes, you got caught. Sometimes, you couldn't escape, because the police had surrounded you, or there were no viable exits, or whatever the hell reason there was that just prevented you from getting away. Sometimes.....sometimes, you had to fight your way out.

Ross loved Uncle Roman, he really did. His godfather had taken him in when his parents had died, and he and Neo cared for him all they could. Ross loved them for this, he really did. But he was pretty sure beating up a kid, no matter how well trained in fighting they were, with a _cane_ was illegal. That, plus ooooooooow, it hurt!

"Come on, kid. Relying on close combat and your hands isn't going to be enough against people with weapons," Uncle Roman says while swinging Melodic Cudgel over his shoulder. A fancy cigar is hanging from his mouth as he speaks, smoke puffing out of him like a chimney. Uncle Roman's eyes are somewhat soft, but still stern while he his sighs, plucking the cigar out of his mouth, "Look, Fighting barehanded is versatile and all, but eventually you'll run out of options. We have to find a weapon you can use."

Ross just pouts at Uncle Roman angrily. He knows that, with years of Neo having done the same, Uncle Roman's practically immune to most cute gestures. Ross only whines and sulks when Uncle Roman refuses to change his mind, slowly climbing to his feet and trudging with Uncle Roman over to the wall. With a tap, the wall immediately opened up to display a wide assortment of mecha-shifting weapons.

"Take your pick. We'll spend our time testing out whatever catches your eye," Uncle Roman said. Ross looked over the variety of deadly weapons at his disposal, curious but calculating when he tried to find the best out of the swords and bludgeons. Most of them were for taller people, so the only things he could really use were things like daggers and such.

Ross began to organize the weapons into two categories: Those he could definitely use.....and everything else. With a significantly (and he meant significantly. Some of the weapons were about as tall as he was, how was he supposed to use those?!) smaller load of potential weapons, Ross began to go through the small pile, picking up a pair of daggers and testing their weight, "Let's try these first."

They slowly go through the pile of weapons, one choice at a time. Ross can't get a good enough grip on the daggers, because his physical strength really does suck. He can barely lift the mace, with how stupidly heavy the head is, and the same situation occurs for similar weapons. He can't swing a sword correctly, can't use a sickle without it slipping out of his hands, and why even bother with the gauntlets?! He can barely punch worth a damn as is!

Eventually, it's really just down to about four weapons when Ross spots something. By then, both of them are tired and a little snappy, but when Ross picks up a weird knobbed club, it's.....light. When he swings it against a wall, it's definitely durable, and he can feel just how sturdy yet powerful it is in his palms. Uncle Roman must have noticed his expression, because he grins happily.

"You found something, kid? Oh, the club, huh? Wow, you really are sticking to your roots!" Uncle Roman examined the club in his hands, taking it and turning it over, "This variant is super popular in Mistral, you know. The little knobs act like both emergency handles and studs to add extra damage to an enemy, and it's made with super light metals so it doesn't strain the wielder. If you need dual wielding...." Uncle Roman presses a knob in the middle, and the club splits in half to reveal that each half is now a baton. A second press on each baton turns them into pistols before Uncle Roman puts the club back together.

"How come you don't use this club, then?" Ross asked Uncle Roman. In response, he just hefted up Melodic Cudgel, smiling nostalgically at the walking cane/fireworks launcher (Vale's Victory Day is the best with Uncle Roman. His fireworks are awesome.) while he looks at the notched and grooved handles.

"I spent months making this cane. Slaved over it nonstop and poured my blood, sweat and tears into it. The day I stop using Melodic Cudgel is the day it breaks." Ross says nothing, and only nods. It obviously means a lot to Uncle Roman. It's a few more seconds of staring before Uncle Roman pulls his head away to look at Ross, "Well, that's that. Wanna try these out?"

Ross walks out with a new club.

* * *

Ross Dubh is twelve years old when he begins to spar.

He's been practicing how to use his awesome club, now named 'Mag Mell', practicing day in and day out and developing a style to which he can use it to fight with. Transitioning to batons form to pistols form and back, Ross learns the intricacies of using and fighting with Mag Mell. Uncle Roman watches over him, but both of them know that without experience, Ross' training is nothing.

So, when Ross is barely fit enough to qualify against fighting an actual opponent, Uncle Roman pits him against......Neo.

Even Neo, evil sadist in a fight that she is, gives Uncle Roman a flat glare as they face each other. Uncle Roman just raises his hands in surrender, looking away nervously as the combined powers of adorable glare and sadistic adorable glare push Uncle Roman's will to it's limits. Yes! Feel the angry cute affect you, Uncle Roman! No one is truly immune to it!

"Hey, this is a headstart. Sort of. Just....just think of it like this, kid. If you beat a video game on the hardest difficulty from the very start, all the easier difficulties seem like a piece of cake, right?" .....On one hand, Uncle Roman was right. Fighting and potentially beating Neo would definitely make him way more skilled than if he were to spar with bottom-of-the-barrel goons. On the other hand, he liked being alive and fighting Neo as is was a suicide mission. Uncle Roman only looks at them expectantly. Ross grumbles under his breath but reluctantly gets into a fighting stance with Mag Mell. Neo takes Hush out, and Ross sees the sudden gleam in her eyes. He whimpers.

The spar is less a spar and more Ross desperately trying to dodge and landing a few lucky blows on Neo's illusions, shattering them before he was smacked in the back or the leg or the whatever, by Hush. Instincts and maybe a tiny bit of panic push Ross to get better as he fights, avoiding any many blows as possible. But.....against Neo? The lady who could literally dance around a Beowulf horde unscathed? He doesn't stand a chance.

By the time the spar is over, Neo's barely sweating, and Ross is face down on the floor, his butt stuck high up in the air. Normally, he'd adjust his position, but this time he's too exhausted to care. Uncle Roman walks over and nudges his butt, prompting a muffled groan of annoyance while he barely moves. This is Uncle Roman's fault, somehow.

"You okay, kid?" Uncle Roman asks. Ross just groans in response, and he sighs, grabbing Ross by the waist and hoisting him up into a sitting position. He looks Ross over and nods, "You did pretty well for a first time against Neo, alright? Not that many people pick up on where to.....well, do anything, really." Ross sulks.

"She handed me my butt eight ways to Sunday, Uncle Roman."

"Most people would be overwhelmed and unconscious. You, on the other hand, made her sweat a little. That's a feat in itself." He helps Ross up, Ross using his body as support, "We'll have to keep doing this for practice, but tell you what. Since you did so well, I'll get some of my guys to steal a few desserts for celebration, okay?" Ross looks up at Uncle Roman with watery eyes.

"Peaches?" He just asks pleadingly. Uncle Roman nods and pats his head. Ross beams. Peaches were the best food ever.

* * *

Ross Dubh is thirteen years old when the universe decides he's been happy for way too long and decides to screw him over yet again.

It's been eight years since his parents' deaths. Since then, Ross has slowly but surely gone back to adjusting to what semblance of a normal life he can lead as, you know, the adoptive son to Vale's most prolific criminal mastermind. The fear of the sun and light are still with him (Ross is pretty sure it never really will go away, his severe heliophobia), ingrained into his very soul, but Ross learns to find ways around it.

He's homeschooled by Uncle oman, learning things like math, English, literature and the like. He likes doing Psychology the most, and occasionally reads a psychology book when he can. He keeps his skills as a thief sharp, practicing on difficult locks and sneaking around compounds undetected. Sparring with Neo has left him far more skilled than the first time he's done so.

Mag Mell's been upgraded over the years. Now, he has a fourth form that allows for the pistols to connect and extend into a double-barreled shotgun (it hurts his arms firing it, though), he's long since mastered fighting with......club kata? Staff kata? He still doesn't know what to call it. Point is, he's good with Mag Mell now. Really good.

His CQC's definitely improved. While his stamina and strength are still garbage, he's learned at learn three different Mistralian fighting styles and just......shoved them together, fine-tuning the amalgamation of a fighting style over the years. He isn't as good as Neo, but he's.....almost there. So close. One day he'll beat her, dammit!

He's slowly putting himself back together. Slowly, but surely healing from the things he had seen as a child wandering the desert. He still doesn't know what he wants to do in the future yet. Maybe he'll be a Huntsman, and hunt down the damn thing that killed his parents. Maybe he'll follow in Uncle Roman's footsteps and take over for the criminal empire he's built. He's still thinking about it.

Whatever happens next, he's no longer alone, cliche as it might sound. He's got Uncle Roman and Neo helping him, and all of their subordinates to use as........er, potential backup? He's seen how dumb some of them can be, really. Regardless, maybe now he can finally, finally begin to move on from the same 'place' he'd been stuck in since he was five.

And then, on April 1st, the universe looks at Ross and apparently goes 'Hah hah hah, you're so happy! Lemme play a funny little prank on you!'

Ross is helping Uncle Roman go through the spoils of a recent bank heist, Neo sitting nearby eating a pint of strawberry ice cream. Uncle Roman's recently carried out a heist on the Vale National Bank, and come away with the motherload of both Lien and blackmail for future use. Going through the money is tedious work, but Ross can bear with it. He might be doing it in the future anyways.

"So kid, what's the count of the payload?" Uncle Roman asks, shuffling through sheets of blackmail and bribery, looking over what's est to use and what's to be discarded.

"It's all here, just like they said. One hundred thousand Lien all accounted for, with the occasional jewelry and expensive trinket thrown in here." Ross reports, sighing as he sat down, stretching his legs, "I'm actually surprised your guys did it. Usually they 'lose' some Lien along the way." Uncle Roman scoffs, grinning behind a new cigar.

"Not this time. I threatened them to not steal from this heist."

"How?"

"Neo."

Ah. Understandable. He idly wonders what Neo did to scare them into submission, glancing at the pint-sized assassin before Uncle Roman sets the blackmail down and sighs, walking over. He pats Ross in the head and Ross looks up in confusion. What'd he do to deserve headpats this time?

"Kid, you've really been getting better these last couple of years. I never did get the chance to say this, because I wasn't sure how to but.....I'm proud of you, kis." Ross blinks, and sniffles a little and Uncle Roman's words, hugging his chest as the criminal mastermind chuckles and hugs him back. There's a feather-light embrace that joins them, indicating that Neo's decided to spontaneously join in.

"Th-Thanks, Uncle Roman." He muttered into the hug. He's about to pull away when there's a sudden tug in his chest. He looks down, and there's a small tugging sensation around his chest that slowly begins to grow. His eyes widen behind his sunglasses and he looks up, "Uh, Uncle Roman? I think something's wrong."

And then he begins to fade in and out.

"Kid? Kid?!" Uncle Roman grasps at Ross' still tangible hand while Neo immediately looks around, paranoid for whoever's causing this. Ross holds onto Uncle Roman's hand as long as he could, the criminal mastermind's eyes widening as he scrabbles frantically at his adoptive son's arms, "Ross! What's going on?!" The undertone of panic in his voice is......uncharacteristic, but still expected.

"I-I don't know, something's tugging at my chest." Ross babbles, internally panicking. Slowly, information floods his head of a place called Japan, and some modern phenomenon called Quirks like a Semblance without the Aura. His eyes widen when this registers in his mind, "I-I think I'm going somewhere. Somewhere that definitely isn't here. Damn, damn I can't find a way to stop this." He looks at Uncle Roman in panic, "I'll come back. I swear. I'll find a way back."

Uncle Roman......Dad, looks back with watery, slowly breaking eyes as he nods. Neo's given up on looking for whatever's causing this, preferring to hug Ross while she can instead. "Come back. You have to come back." Dad rasps, teary-eyed. Ross nods once. The tug grows stronger, stronger, and-

Suddenly, he's in a house. A super big one, at the looks of it. There's a fat, arrogant looking kid in a t-shirt two sizes too small and baggy pants who stares back at Ross, clearly displeased with what he sees. The kid groans and screeches with a whiny voice, "Uuuuuuuugh, you're not strong! I wanted to get a cool, strong guy instead! You're just some dumb girl who-"

The kid is cut off by virtue of Ross viciously punting him into the wall. A small part of his mind yells that that's definitely going to have permanent consequences on both of them, and why the hell was he punting kids now?! The larger part of his mind says to shut the hell up, this kid literally yoinked him from his home and family. 

As the kid wails in agony and keeps whining (now that he looks at the kid, he acts super spoiled and annoying, like he's been handed everything he ever wanted on a silver platter, up until now), his newfound knowledge on wherever the heck Earth is, his eyes brighten. They had legitimate legal superheroes in this place?! That was awesome! Useful, but also hella awesome, so it was a win-win.

Maybe one of them could help him get home!

* * *

Ross Dubh is fourteen years old when he's finally disillusioned by the concept of Pro Heroes.

He's spent an entire year squatting in houses secretly. Living off of pickpocketing and stealthily breaking into homes (thank you, thief skills!), he keeps himself clean, hydrated and well-fed while avoiding authorities. He's a redhead kid all alone in what others could consider a foreign country. I's best to not take any chances.

Luckily, the brat's 'Quirk' or whatever, provided him with knowledge on how to speak Japanese, so he lucked out there. He's able to communicate when it comes to shopping for groceries, reading recipes and the like. Fourteen years old, living in a small apartment alone, and surviving somehow. He's glad the landlady doesn't ask questions. Thanks for the tips, Dad.

That said, being chucked into an unfamiliar world suddenly hasn't exactly done wonders for the thief. He's still paranoid and wary, but keeps it down as much as possible. It helps that Quirks, and by proxy, people nowadays look so different and varied that he hardly registers.....unless it's for a guy coming up to flirt with him. In fact, he's bought a faded grey fluffy blanket made of custom wool with pink trim, and nobody batted an eye. Even though it was, you know, custom-made and cost about 50,000 yen. For a blanket.

He's spent a whole year now looking for a way to get home. A Quirk that could send him back to Remnant, a Quirk that could allow for dimensional travel, hell, anything related to whatever the hell the weird dimension theory Dad mentioned while asleep was. Don't they call it an Einstein-Rosen bridge here or something? Whatever.

The thing is, Pro Heroism is a business. It's set with rankings, guidelines, punishments and demotions, all that kinda stuff. By proxy, the Pro Heroes are, like, ten percent actual superhero and ninety percent greedy businessmen. They care less about saving people and more about popularity and catching villains. There's almost never a day without property damage and over-exaggerated details of petty crimes. Apparently, if you stole a purse you deserved to be tossed into maximum security now!

Not like they're all overbearing single-minded assholes. There are still scandals and crimes committed by the same Pro Heroes meant to protect society. A hero agency shut down because of a sex scandal harassing female rescuees. Pro Heroes caught drugging out after a good day's worth of carefully orchestrated 'incidents'. Hell, some of the top ranking Pro Heroes had immense costs of property damage to their name! 

Even the, without committing crimes, Pro Heroes are still guilty of a plethora of other things. Some Pro Heroes choose flashier crimes over more important ones in hopes of gaining more media attention. Other outright refuse to work and only bask in the adoration they get from citizens for simple being a Pro Hero. Others use their agencies as fronts.

And the worst part? All this is covered up. By the corrupt organization known as the 'Hero public Safety Commission'. Hah! Public Safety his pale freckled ass! These people cared more about getting a firmer hold on the government than the safety and welfare of the citizens. They were slowly ruining Japan as is, because they just wanted t rule. Sooner or later, they'd get to rule......over debris.Even as a thief and adoptive son to a criminal mastermind, Ross has his limits. And they say that the Heroes sure as hell won't help.

So instead, maybe the villains have someone who can.

* * *

Ross Dubh is fifteen years old when he finally snaps.

Two years of nothing but dead ends and false leads. A suspected dimension Quirk user turns out to be a fraud. A person who could form Einstein-Rosen bridges died five months ago. Another with a similar effect couldn't control when they formed and was driven insane. Day after day, hour after hour and Ross still has nothing to show for it. He's tired. He's not sure he'll ever make it back to Remnant.

Now, he sits in the local library, lying under his now-favorite blanket and reading a really confusing quantum physics book about the Wormhole Theory in hopes of finding clues on how a dimensional portal should have worked when there's noise behind him. Its a bunch of teenagers his age, yelling and whooping as they head around the library, intent on causing mayhem and chaos for fun. Normally, he'd ignore them. They would leave sooner or later.

And then a small bolt of lightning whizzed by his head, and he freezes as they cackle while the lightning bolt sets fire to a nearby chair. He sees red, which should be almost impossible because of his custom sunglasses, but the next thing he knows, they're on the ground groaning in pain. He's standing over them as they scramble away, threatening to call a Pro Hero over.

Pro Hero?

A Pro Hero?!

Just the thought of those greedy, conniving wannabes supported by the most corrupt organization in the world makes him snap, and he loses it. His Semblance rears his head, and there are screams and cries of terror as the library begins to get engulfed by a field of anti-light of his own making. Everyone is bent on leaving the library. Good. He's had enough of this.

When the shroud is formed and the inside of the building pitch black, Ross lies down and puts his head into his arms, trying to hold back tears. In the end, he's all alone again, huh?

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Hello?" Ross jerks awake. There's a voice in the library, and it's loud. It's interrupted his nap too. Well, it was nice while it lasted. "Is anyone there?" The voice quivers, but it stays steadfast and super _loud_. At this rate, Ross would never be able to go back to his nap. He pushed his chair back and stood, trudging over to where the voice was.

"You are far too loud in here," He says tiredly, rubbing his eyes as a hand encircles the person's arm gently, guiding them over to the table, "Come, come. Sit for a bit."

Ross Dubh is fifteen years old when Lady Luck finally smiles at him.

* * *

On Ross Dubh's sixteenth birthday, he begins dating Midoriya Izuku.

* * *

**Name:** Ross Dubh

 **Aliases:** The Librarian, Avidya

 **Age:** 16

 **Gender:** Male

 **Species:** Human

 **Sexuality:** Bisexual, bordering on pansexual

 **Personality:** Deceptive, Mischievous, Flirtatious, Seductive, Afraid of the sun and light

 **Eyes:** Amber colored, almond shaped

 **Hair:** Red, back-length wavy curls

 **Skin Tone:** Porcelain white, freckled all over

 **Height:** Five feet one inch.

 **Weight:** Slightly underweight. About 105-110 pounds.

 **Build:** Extremely feminine. Lithe body frame with very dainty limbs.

 **Favorite Color:** Black

 **Favorite Food:** Peaches

 **Hobbies:** Sleeping, cooking, dancing, singing, crossdressing

 **Likes:** Izuku Midoriya, Shouto Todoroki, getting headpats, cuddling, his custom blanket, cooking, cute things

 **Dislikes:** Most Pro Heroes, Endeavor, the sun, light, bright areas, having his sunglasses forcibly removed, the desert

 **Birthday:** February 14th

 **Fashion** **Sense:** Seductive, lewd form-fitting clothes. Crop tops and booty shorts are his go-to in private, though he may also wear yoga pants or other tight pants for maximum booty. 'I've got an amazing ass, so why shouldn't I flaunt it' is the mindset surrounding this. He also loves wearing cute, feminine outfits to fuel his crossdressing hobby, though he prefer dresses and blouses over skirts, and prefers dark colors.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Alright Smoke, let's give Ross a nice, happy, calming background where he only ends up in the BNHAverse by accid-
> 
> Also me: Your parents? **Wack.** Your self-esteem? **Wack.** Your mental health? **Wack.** Your world view? **Wack.** Your life right now? **Wack.**
> 
> *sob sob how the fuck did I manage to give Ross such a cliche angsty Mary Sue looking-ass backstory?!*
> 
> Yes, I made Roman and Neo OOC. Mainly because like hell I'm gonna hate them hate kids. Even they have standards, dammit. Standards!
> 
> But yeah, that's Ross' story, everyone! Someone stranded on Earth because some Quirks are hella dumb. Whether he makes it back to Remnant or not, I haven't decided yet, but for now.....Avidya finna rock everyone's shit.


End file.
